Inspiration :: Portia

It's inexplicable, but the name "Portia" springs to mind when I had to name these earrings... Perhaps it's the strength of her character as the heroine in The Merchant of Venice that attracted me.  Wisdom, wit and grace residing all in a single soul - she wins her suitor and saves the life of his friend.  In the play, Portia delivers one of the most famous speeches of all time:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Ellen Terry (1847 1928) As Portia In The Merchant Of Venice C. 1885 by Albert Joseph Moore

Source unknown

Curiously, I'm also reminded of Audrey Tatou's character in Amelie who carries out elaborate ideas to help improve the lives of people around her.  Perhaps that is a name for another creation on another day...